10 Times WWE Repeated History
4. The Survivor Series Screwjob
When Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart at the 1997 Survivor Series, even he couldn't have predicted how well the aftermath would go for him. Post-punch in the face, anyway.
One year on from being floored by an excellently executed fist, McMahon was atop the wrestling world thanks to the success of his on-screen feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Survivor Series 1998 was to be the night he unveiled his most fiendish plan yet, revealing that nascent fan favourite The Rock was his protected bet when 'The Great One' applied the Sharpshooter to Mankind in the final of the WWE Championship tournament. Insisting that the timekeeper ring the bell in a kayfabe riff on his cruelest act, McMahon yet again gifted somebody the belt. This time, he could luxuriate in it
Even the most ardent 'Hitman' fan - of which your writer was and is - had to nod approvingly at its spellbinding creativity, finish included. WWE loved it so much that they persisted with the idea of people getting "screwed" at the Survivor Series in subsequent years. None of them had the spice and shock factor of that glorious original homage.